Scarlet Seduction
by KawaiiEmiko50
Summary: With seven days to seduce her boss, Kagome starts to think she shouldn't have agreed to this bet with Sango. The hottest man of the year surely wouldn't look twice at the law firm's janitor, but Kagome still has a few ideas up her sleeve that will hopefully leave him begging for more. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **For those of you who haven't checked my profile, I'm putting Cutting Through the Bamboo on Hiatus. I do not know how long I will postpone writing it, but I can't seem to get my ideas together anymore. Plus, this idea hit me and it won't go away until I write it. Fug.

Quick explanation on the name: (if you guys couldn't catch on.) If Kagome loses the bet, she has to wear a letter F pinned to her clothing for a month, instead of wearing an A since Inuyasha isn't married etc., as was the case in the scarlet letter. She has to seduce as the bet, thus the seduction. I don't think it's hard to understand, but I wouldn't be surprised if none of you got it.

Also, bare with me. It's my first time trying first person.

* * *

**Scarlet Seduction**

**I**

* * *

I sighed as I pushed the squeaky cart down the hall, my eyes glancing over everything that would need to be cleaned. The water in my mop bucket swished, drops spilling every so often on the gray tiled floors. I smiled as Hojo passed by me, a quick hello mumbled in my direction as he took off towards the copy room. I can't really say I'd envy the people who worked in this building. Being a lawyer sounded like quite a bore, if you ask me. My job was much more enjoyable. Being the janitor in this place really had its perks, you know.

Like cleaning the men's room. That was my favorite.

Now if only I majored in sarcasm instead of law, I'd really be successful. However, due to the fact that the economy was in such crap, no one would hire me anywhere as a lawyer. Hell, even the worst law firm in Tokyo wouldn't take me. That's what caused me to find my REAL passion in life, janitorial duties. It just really gets me excited to walk into work and have to clean piss off of the floor in the mens bathroom.

My dream come true.

This was the closest I was going to get to being a lawyer for quite a few years. The people in the building weren't the WORST things in the world, so at least my job was relatively painless. Relatively being the key word.

I turned into the briefing room and pulled out my wash cloth and pledge. Sango mentioned that they were having an important meeting at two o'clock that day so I needed to make sure the room was 'clean enough they could eat off the table.' Or something like that.

I scrubbed the large wooden surface and the chairs before erasing the leftovers on the dry erase board so new notes could be written. The last thing on the list to do was clean the scuffed floor before I could hand the room over to the lawyers. I stepped on a scuff mark and twisted my sneaker to erase it from the floor-a trick my mom taught me. I swear that woman has the answer to everything.

After the twenty something scuff marks were removed, I took the mop from the bucket and squeezed out the excess water before plopping it town onto the tiled floor. In an odd way, mopping soothed me when I was stressed. It was mindless work as long as I started from the inside of the room and made my way to the outside. I accidentally did the opposite one of my first days here and I was stuck in the middle of the room until the rest of it dried.

I just finished mopping and pushed my cart out of the room when I saw a group of people walking towards me. I shuffled out of their way and pulled the cart to sit against the wall as I greeted the familiar faces. I caught a glimpse of silver and my eyes followed it.

I hardly ever got to see the owner of the law firm, and when I did it was definitely a blessing. I stared at him as openly as I could without getting caught. How he wasn't tied down with a wife and kids by now was beyond me. He was six-foot-two of pure raw sex appeal. His unique features definitely must have added to the air of confidence that surrounded him.

His silver hair was tied at the nape of his neck and his dog ears twitched as he took in the sounds surrounding him. I started to turn away when the color of gold peered into my brown eyes, and for a second I was stunned. He never noticed me, and here he was, staring me down like I just ran over his grandmother.

I pulled my eyes away and saw Sango and Miroku walking towards me, smirks plastered on both of their faces. I sighed and awaited the attack, having done this too many times to count. They walked up beside me and Miroku leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, while Sango just stood in front of me. Mr. Takahashi had already entered the room with the others, but of course I was stuck with these two.

God help me.

"I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think your face is red from it being hot in the building." Sango joked as she stole a look at Miroku. He laughed and patted me on the back, then decided to leave his hand resting uncomfortably on my backside. The sound of Sango's cracking knuckles suddenly alleviated the pressure from my behind. The pervert would never learn.

Although who wouldn't be attracted to me in this oh-so-sexy uniform? A dull gray jumpsuit really showed off what I had to offer. I huffed and glared at the pair, knowing that any words that came out of my mouth after that would be held against me in a court of law.

"Ah, so you're not denying it?" Miroku seemed like he was egging me on. The smirk on his face mirrored Sango's as they both looked at me. Okay, so I was blushing because I just had a staring contest with possibly the hottest man alive.

"You guys are gonna be late for your meeting." I stuck to a neutral topic, hoping they would get off of my back. It wasn't like I was the only one who thought Mr. Takahashi was attractive. The whole world did. Judging by the amount of magazine covers he graced and "Hottest of -insert year here-" lists he made, I'd have to say he was well aware of how attractive he was.

So why was it such a big deal to tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum that I was blushing at the sight of him?

Because they like to torture me, obviously.

"Ignore it all you want, my dear Kagome. We'll be here when you're ready to profess your undying love for our boss." I stared like a deer in the headlights while Miroku and Sango made their way into the room. I caught myself shaking my head and stopped immediately, then looked around to make sure no one had saw me. Coast was clear.

I took this as a good time to go clean the boss' office. I hated cleaning when he was in there. It was like I was interrupting some secret personal time. The tension in the room could be cut with my dust pan and I wasn't sure why. I hadn't done anything to offend him, at least that I know of anyway. He just mumbled to himself and sat on the phone and ignored my existence.

I quickly learned to clean his office when he wasn't in it. Which was rare, so I was stuck cleaning after he and all the others had left for the day. I pushed the cart over to the door with his nameplate and checked to see if it was unlocked. The door opened and I stepped in, searched for the light and flicked it on.

As put together as he looks in person, any space he occupies is the complete opposite. Crumpled papers everywhere, left over food placed on the bookshelf to give himself more space on the desk, and empty coffee containers everywhere.

I sighed and began going around to pick up the trash. After throwing out all of his empty food and coffee cups, I started on the balled up pieces of paper. My curiosity got the best of me, so I unraveled one of them to read what was printed on it. It looked like a love letter.

HA. He has secret admirers! That's adorable. My eyes scanned through it as I read the gist of what the woman wanted to say. The more I read, the less I thought of this as a love letter. The woman was more or less making fun of him for him being a half-demon. The words "disgrace", "disgusting" and "vile" were a few words that were underlined.

Who honestly does that to someone? This woman doesn't even know him and she's calling him names due to something he has no control over. I threw that one in the waste basket before reaching for another one. This one was along the same lines. These letters must really piss him off. Hell, I'd hunt the bitch down and stab her with a spork.

The door opened abruptly and I let out a startled squeak as I chucked the paper into the garbage. I stood up and turned around to face who opened the door and brown met with gold. I gasped a bit at the angered look on his face. He brushed past me and sat down at his desk, propping his legs up and placing his hands behind his head.

I hurriedly picked up the rest of the papers and tossed them out before emptying his waste basket and placing it back down next to his desk. I stood there for a minute, biting my lip nervously before chancing a look at him.

"Is there anything else you want done, Mr. Takahashi?" when did my voice get so high-pitched? I could already feel the blood rushing to my face again. He just stared at me, all traces of anger gone. What was with this guy and staring at me today? Two years and I've made eye contact with him maybe ten times.

"No. Go take your lunch break."

I walked out and closed the door behind me, willing the blush off of my face before anyone saw me. Who was he to tell me when to go eat lunch? I ate my lunch when I damn well felt like it. I just so happened to feel like eating the moment he said it, so I took my break. Not because he told me to.

I hunched down in the seat and picked at my sandwich. I saw Sango so I waved her over, eager for company. Being the only janitor in this place during the day really got boring. She sat down in front of me and opened her container of sushi she must have just picked up down the street.

"Any plans for the weekend?" she started off the conversation and I just shook my head, indicating my life was filled with no excitement. She popped a piece of sushi in her mouth and chewed, a thoughtful look on her face.

"You wanna go out and do something? I just finished up a case so I want to go out before I get buried under another one."

I opened my mouth to protest, but after looking at the expression of pure excitement on her face I couldn't turn her down. I wasn't one for going out and getting drunk. I'd rather sit at home with my cat and read a good romance novel.

My life was as dull as my work outfit.

"Sure."

"So, about your crush on our boss..." she trailed off, eying me suggestively. Where the hell did that come from? We're talking about going out, not our boss. Or my crush on him. Which I absolutely do not have.

"I don't have a crush on him, Sango. He is just a moderately attractive, available, important man." I stated simply, shrugging as I bit into the sandwich in my hands. I only had a half hour to eat and I didn't want to waste all of it talking with her about things that weren't true.

"Yeah, and Miroku isn't a pervert."

"What on earth would make you think I liked him? Besides, don't act like you don't like when Miroku hits on you. I see your blush before you whack him." I smirked as I watched her eyes widen before setting them in a glare.

"Leave Miroku out of this. Everyone in the office notices, Kagome. You blush like a maniac anytime he is even remotely near you. I even notice you lingering in front of his office as if he'll burst out any minute and confess his love for you with his hair blowing in the wind." she laughed at the expression of disgust on my face.

"For the last time, I have no feelings for Mr. Takahashi." I huffed and chugged my soda before throwing the remnants of my lunch in the trash. I sat back down and almost cringed at the look on her face.

"Well then. I believe you." she smiled. That's it? No more asking me? No more torturing me when he was around? I was shocked. But then she opened her mouth again.

"So if you don't like him, you wouldn't be afraid of a bet then, would you?" the sweetness in her voice almost led me to believe that this wasn't going to be the death of me. Good thing the feeling in my gut told me otherwise.

"What kind of bet?" Now, I'm not one for betting. If the odds are in my favor and the payoff is good enough, then sure. Otherwise I'm about as risky as my cat.

"If you can seduce-oh stop blushing- Inuyasha in, lets say a week, then you win the bet." her hands were laid out on the table in front of her, tapping in a rhythm. I gaped openly at her before clearing my throat.

"What do you mean by seduce."

"You have to get him to sleep with you. That shouldn't be a problem, right? Since there aren't feelings involved...right?" she was pushing me, that bitch. Lawyers shouldn't even be allowed to have conversations with non-lawyers.

My law school experience was nothing compared to this girl.

"Are you insane? I'm not convincing our boss to _sleep _with me. You're just as bad as Miroku!" I accused, hoping that would offend her enough to realize how crazy this bet was. There was no way I'd be able to seduce him. He's the hottest man of the year and I'm a janitor.

Case and point.

"This will prove to everyone that you really don't like him. You can get him to sleep with you and after you two do the nasty, if you can go on with life as if nothing happened, it was clear you never had feelings for him to begin with."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was she serious? There was no logic in that.

"No way." I stood up and turned around, ready to head back to my wonderful job, but Sango's hand on my arm stopped me.

"If you don't do it I'll tell everyone you have a shrine of him in the janitorial closet." she threatened me with a smile on her face. How could someone so gentle looking threaten me? I sighed and weighed my options mentally.

If I did it, I'd get to have sex with my boss. I could get him out of my system and then not be embarrassed if he stared at me anymore. If I didn't do it, I'd look like a lunatic with an obsession and probably get fired for being a stalker.

Perfect.

"What are the terms?" I sighed as we sat back down.

"Seven days. Starting tomorrow, you can do whatever you see fit to seduce him. You cannot tell him about the bet, because that would be cheating. If you win, well, you get to sleep with him. If you lose...hmm. If you lose, you have to wear the letter 'F' on your uniform everyday for a month."

Why do I have a feeling this wasn't a spur of the moment bet? Damn her.

"F?"

"Failure." she smiled at my deadpanned expression. Is she kidding me? Fine, if I had to walk around with an F and carry the embarrassment of being turned down by my boss, then she'd have to be punished if I actually pulled this off.

"On one condition. If I win, you have to go on a date with Miroku." immediately her eyebrows shot up into her bangs as she gaped at me. Her expression calmed as she sat and thought about it.

"Deal." Gee. Didn't she sound confident in my abilities of seduction. I stuck out my hand and waited for her to grab it so we could seal it with a handshake.

"Deal." I repeated as she shook mine, and we both stood up to head back to work. She looked excited and I looked like my dog was just shot by santa.

I'm thrilled though, really.

We made our way back into the main part of the building and I grabbed my cart from the closet. How the hell was I supposed to seduce him? I rarely saw him and when I did he either ignored me or I couldn't get a word out to him because he was too busy.

Maybe I could attempt to put make up on, at least. Or straighten my hair? Guys liked that, right?

No, I wasn't going to completely change my appearance just to get him interested in me.

Oh, how wrong I was.

* * *

_Feedback is love._

-Caitlin


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Much going on. Sorry for the wait.

Thank you all for the reviews!

* * *

**Scarlet Seduction**

**II**

* * *

I woke up and was almost late to work, leaving me with no time to even get ready. My hair was a hot mess and I probably still had drool crusted onto the side of my chin. My jumpsuit was looking extra wrinkly today since it wound up on my floor late last night instead of washed and folded.

Good thing I have to seduce my boss looking like this.

I glared at Sango who waved at me with a cheery expression on her face as I passed by on my way to the janitors closet. That demon cart was waiting for me and I had a long list of shit to clean that I had every intention of half-assing.

What the hell was I supposed to do to even get Mr. Takahashi to notice me? There were beautiful women throwing themselves at him day in and out, and I was a crusty-eyed janitor in a shapeless jumpsuit.

Clearly I just walk by and let him see how beautiful I am.

Maybe a compliment would work? That would be subtle enough and yet get his attention. But what am I supposed to compliment him on?

'Hey boss man, you have some cute dog ears.'

No.

'Hey, Takahashi! Butt looks good in those slacks.'

Awkward.

'Hey, Inuyasha. Your hair looks pretty that color.'

Oh god someone help me.

I shook my head and pushed the cart towards the mens bathroom, determined to get the worst part of my day out of the way first. I knocked and waited to see if anyone answered, and no one called out so I pushed open the door and took a gulp of breath before going in.

I snapped the gloves on my hands and grabbed what I would need to quickly clean the urinals. I started singing "Genie in a Bottle" to distract myself before I barfed and then had to clean that up on top of everything else in here.

The door to a stall slammed open and I nearly jumped three feet in the air before I looked up in the mirror above the sink to see Inuyasha coming out, scowl in place.

Just. Fucking. Great.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Mr. Takahashi. I knocked, but you never answered." I tried apologizing so he wouldn't blow a gasket in the mens room. He grunted and quickly washed his hands. If I was going to do this compliment thing, I'd better do it now. I had no idea when I'd see him next.

Just think about those compliments you thought up before, Kagome. You can do this!

My brain seems to be working faster then my mouth wants to. Here goes.

"Your butt looks good that color."

'Your butt looks good that color.'

'….YOUR BUTT LOOKS GOOD THAT COLOR?' Oh. My. God.

Inuyasha stopped and turned back towards me. He cocked his eyebrow and then glanced down at his rear end to see if he had maybe sat in something. He looked back up at me and for a split second I could swear I saw a ghost of a smirk appear on his face before it was erased and his back was turned towards me again.

"Get back to work, Ms. Higurashi." My face wouldn't stop flaming. Here I was, standing in the mens bathroom, and I just told my boss his butt looked good as a certain color. This whole no sleep thing last night really fucked my head up.

Because now instead of taking a step in the right direction, I just put myself further back then I was before this started.

Although, he did say my name! So that has to be an improvement, right?

I needed to get out of there so I can tell Sango, so she can see how ridiculous this all is and call the bet off. I can't risk embarrassing myself again. I hurriedly finished cleaning that monstrosity they call a bathroom and jogged over to Sango's desk. Miroku was hovering over it so I tried to wave her over, but she just waved back and told me to come to her.

I sighed and tried to think of how to be inconspicuous. The last thing I needed was Miroku knowing about this. He'd probably broadcast it to the whole office.

"Sango, can you grab your purse and meet me in the womens room? I need your help with something." Yeah, that'll work. He will think it is something period related, and we all know as soon as something period related is brought up in conversation, men make themselves scarce.

"Doing something naughty?"

Okay, maybe not.

"Shut up, Miroku. Sango, hurry up. It's urgent." I turned around and stalked off towards the womens room to wait for her. Not even a minute later she charged in with her purse and started putting make up on the counter.

I stared incredulously. She thought I needed her to put make up on me? Do I really look that bad this morning?

"Hurry, I have to file paperwork all day and I don't have much time." She ushered me over to the sink and started piling that stuff on my face. I took this as my opportunity to tell her about what happened, hoping to get an understanding, sympathetic smile and then she would call off the bet.

Instead, she smeared eye shadow along my temple when she burst out laughing. I am not amused.

"His butt...color!" she was still laughing, and I was still not amused. Finally she was able to calm herself down enough to fix my make up. I still didn't know why I was letting her paint my face. Make up and a jumpsuit don't seem to mix so well together.

"So can you call off this bet? It's obvious I'm just going to make a fool of myself." I turned my now smokey eyes up to her in a pleading look. She shook her head and make a kiss formation with her lips, urging me to do the same so she could gloss mine.

Twenty minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom with what felt like a clown face and brushed hair and a smug Sango behind me. She would not let this stupid bet go, then fine. I'll show her.

Time to clean Inuyashas office.

My cart squeaked down the hall as I made my way to his door. I knew he would be in there, he always was. I knocked.

"Enter."

I walked in and wheeled my cart against the wall. "Do you mind if I clean now? I'd like to get it out of the way."

"Go ahead."

I started dusting slowly, trying to think of something to say. Maybe if I dusted his desk right in front of him, he would see me with the makeup on and save me the trouble of having to try to compliment him again.

I walked over to the desk and began running the duster over it, trying to look like I was doing it quickly so I wouldn't be in his way for long. He never even looked up from his laptop.

I sighed and moved my way over to the book shelf.

"Do you have any paint?" I stopped dusting and turned to look at him. He was still focused on his laptop.

"No, I don't do the painting around here. Can I ask why?"

"I think my butt would look better in red." Yeah, the same color my face just flushed.

I saw the smirk this time, it was stretched across half his handsome face. I huffed and stormed over to my cart to put the duster back. I emptied his trash can and went to leave.

"You look nice, by the way." I flushed again.

"Thank you."

Here goes nothing.

"You always look nice." I returned before leaving, hoping to seem casual about it. The wheel on my car decided to jam into the door frame, so there was nothing casual about me jamming my abdomen into the hand rails on my cart.

"Oof." The wind rushed out of my lungs as I clutched my now aching stomach. I didn't even dare turn back around to see the look on his face. It was going so smooth and the stupid cart had to ruin it. I backed it up and maneuvered it quickly out of the office and closed the door behind me, not even sparing him a glance.

Sango's eyes caught mine as I rushed out, and I watched as her eyebrow cocked up in a questioning motion. I shook my head sullenly at her, before making my way to the closet for the vacuum. This would give me time to think of what to do next. Except I really had no clue. I didn't want to make it look obvious by stalking past his office every twenty minutes.

Someone give me a damn answer!

"Kagome, wanna grab lunch?" Miroku poked his head out of his office as soon as I turned the vacuum off. I just shook my head and rolled up the chord so I could put the vacuum away. Okay, so vacuuming for three minutes wasn't exactly hard working, oh well. They'll take what they can get and like it. He shrugged his shoulders and walked out of his office, I assumed to the cafeteria. I saw Sango follow him a few minutes later, but not before sending me an expectant look. I just shrugged and she left as well.

I really needed to put my game face on. There was no way I would win this bet if I didn't step up and try harder. I decided to dust around the office before most of the workers returned from their lunch breaks. I really should have grabbed food but I just wasn't in the mood.

I should also mention to the maintenance men that the air conditioning in here isn't working, it's getting quite hot in here. And no, it's not because my boss is twenty feet away from me. It really is warm in here.

I'm starting to think that maybe I really should have eaten. Working on an empty stomach never meant a good time for me. I tried to hurriedly dust everything so I can go grab something to eat before I fainted, but Sango and Miroku had just returned from lunch. So I'd have to eat alone. Not that I minded, but it was nice to have companions to eat with.

"Hello, Kagome. You look beautiful today. What for?"

"Why do I need a reason to do my makeup?" I gave him a deadpanned expression that expressed my displeasure at his comment. Sure, I don't wear makeup that often, but do I really need a reason? The look on Miroku's face was starting to confuse me. He looked smug. Like he knew something he shouldn't...

And then the look on Sango's face caused her to look pretty damned guilty. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. I cursed. Loudly.

"You told him? Sango I should sue you for breaching girl code." I looked at her with a disproving expression on my face, followed by the crossing of my arms across my chest. This look meant business.

"He dragged it out of me, you know him! He's as conniving as a..well, a lawyer." I sighed and turned back towards my cart to bring it to the janitors closet. I needed a damn beer. Now that Miroku knew this was going to be twice as difficult.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see who it was. Deep blue eyes were staring back at me, a playful glint in them. My eyebrow cocked in a silent question, followed by a glare. His hand was slowly slipping south and there was no way I was letting it get any further. He stepped back and rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

"I want to help you. Sango told me the terms of the bet and I'd like you to win so I get the chance to take her on a proper date." he smiled at me, all playfulness gone from his eyes. "And how exactly do you plan on helping me? You can't force him to be turned on."

"Ah, but I know what turns men on, my dear. You'll have him in your bed by the third day, tops."

Well there's the pervert we all know and tolerate.

What options did I have, really? Clearly what I was doing wasn't working in the least. Every time I tried to be smooth I either blurted things out that I shouldn't have said, or I tripped and injured myself. I had no idea what to do next, so it wouldn't kill me to listen to his ideas, right?

"Wear one of those slutty maid outfits! It's perfect. With that body, he'll be drooling in no time."

Maybe it would kill me.

* * *

Life is rough. Sorry for the wait. Try to get these out sooner now, but I'm working on my autobiography as well, so no promises. Thank you again everyone for the reviews, and keep it up. Whoops! Just realized it took me a _month _to upload the second chapter. Ouch. I hate writers who do that, my apologies. D:

_Feedback is love._

_-_Caitlin


End file.
